The drizzle wasn't helping Tony's mood. The others were on their way to the mage's dwelling. The bull was worried for their safety, especially after the random attack last night. What happens if they meet another small army like that? he thought. Would they even have a chance to survive?
He sighed, unable to shake his mood. All this maiming and killing was not something he was totally comfortable with yet. His mind kept returning to the goblin he had killed two days ago. Its lifeless body lying at his feet; the memory of the fatal strike running back and forth in slow motion in his head over and over and over again. For the life of him, he couldn't shake the horrible sinking in his heart he had felt since the moment he had realized that he had taken another being's life.
I know that I had to do it. If I didn't, he'd have killed me. And who knows what would have happened then? He watched a small water drop make its way down the window in front of him. His thoughts returned to the advice he had gotten from Trenton. Trenton is right, though. This is not easy for me. I can't let all this thinking keep me from protecting myself and my friends. There are people and creatures here that don't have the same respect for life that I do. And I can protect my friends. I have to! Too bad I have to stoop to my enemy's level to do so. He sighed wearily.
Crystal watched Tony brood from her seat in the living room. The bull's melancholy mood as he watched the drizzle splash lightly on the ground and windows was not what she had expected this morning. She had expected the chilly air. With the middle two of the four picture windows making up most of the east wall broken, the light rain beaded up on the wood floors near the window frames.
She looked at Kevin who was also watching his friend mope. He felt Crystal's eyes on him, and turned to face her.
"What do you think is wrong with him this morning?" she asked quietly.
Kevin shrugged. "Knowing him, he's either still having trouble with the hurting and killing of creatures, or he's worried about the other group."
"Or both, possibly?" Crystal suggested.
Kevin nodded. "Probably both, actually." He looked toward the minotaur. "He's a gentle, shy kind of guy. This adventure is not something he'd normally be particularly interested in."
"Ah." Crystal stretched lazily on the couch. They had been planning on practicing today, but the dreary weather sapped most of their enthusiasm. Doug was back in bed, taking a nap.
Well, after the last few days, a relaxing day is nice, Kevin thought. This is supposed to be spring break, after all. He wrapped himself in his blanket a little more tightly and turned his attention to the mist and fog floating slowly across the lake.
"Figures that today would have to be wet," Rich complained. He slipped a bit walking up the moist, moss-covered rock incline but quickly regained his balance.
"I thought cats were supposed to be good on their feet," Sharon quipped, grinning at him from the top of the hill.
"Yes, we are," Rich replied, carefully picking out his footing up the last few feet up the hill. "But only on dry ground. Wet grass, underbrush, and moss don't exactly have large coefficients of friction. I require traction!" He grinned.
"Why don't you just float there?" Scott suggested from behind him, pulling the hood of his cloak a bit more forward. The cold drizzle and fog kept collecting on his helmet and running down his cheeks in chilly rivulets.
"Tempting, but the spell wears me out slowly. I'd probably be able to float all the way there, but I'd be too tired to get back, even walking." Rich sighed. "As long as we don't have many more hills like that, I should be fine the rest of the way."
They continued walking through the mist and drizzle mostly in silence. The path they were on was not very well worn and seemed to wander randomly around near the north side of the lake. The soft crunching of the underbrush and their breathing were the only sounds that greeted their ears for most of the trip. The forest and mist radiated a kind of encompassing quiet that soaked up any other sounds, making most of the trip eerily quiet.
After a couple hours of walking, Sharon finally spotted the abode. It was a small, squat, well-built stone building set on top of a small rise. As the group approached the house, they looked off to the south. Most of the valley, including the lake, was visible even through the gray, hazy atmosphere.
Scott knocked lightly on the door. A scratchy bass voice called to them, "Please come in from the rain. I have been expecting you."
Rich raised an eyebrow at this statement as Scott slowly opened the door to the house.
The old man was sitting in a very comfortable looking chair at the table in the center of the room. He was obviously well past his prime, probably aged near eighty. His long hair, a dark silver color, hung down on both sides of his shoulders, partially covering his majestically colored red and purple robe. He watched the party entering with kind, thoughtful eyes.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable," he offered, waving his hand toward various chairs scattered around the premises. He closed the book on the table he had been writing in. "We have much to discuss."
Sharon pulled a chair out from the table and sat forward in it, looking quizzically at the old mage. The others sat down in the few scattered chairs in the house and pulled off their headgear.
"How did you know we were coming, if you don't mind me asking?" she asked.
The old wizard smiled. "I felt the forces of the magic that brought you here a few days ago. I knew that it was Paul's doing, but the spell was too big for him to just be bringing himself back. So I figured that he had brought along some friends." His smile faded.
Sharon raised an eyebrow. "Did you just say Paul?"
Kyther nodded once, solemnly. "Yes, my friend. The Paul you know is the same Paul that you have undoubtedly heard the stories of. Would you like to know more about the boy Paul?"
The five nodded back at the mage.
"You have probably heard of Paul's pair of magic mentors. I was the second one. Paul was a powerful boy when I first met him, and so I helped him refine and amplify his power. He learned things very quickly and was always curious. He also displayed a quick wit and an excellent knowledge of many academic subjects. To say the least, he was a great student. He enjoyed being around me and I was eager to teach such a bright pupil.
"So, when he ascended the throne, I became the court's royal wizard and teacher. He continued his education under me for many more years. However, I had to leave for a month to tend to some matters outside the valley. When I returned, I learned that Paul's demeanor had changed for the worse. No one was able to adequately explain the transformation. As one of the people Paul was closest to, I was understandably confused. He had never shown that side of his personality before.
"Luckily, because none of the common people or elders of the towns had ever seen me before, I was able to take on a new identity. I have kept up that identity to this day."
"So, you were Paul's old mentor and you fought and banished him?" Sharon asked incredulously.
"Yes, unfortunately, that is correct. The banishment spell I cast after I realized that Paul was not himself anymore and that he was a danger to our world." He shifted slightly in his chair, sighing to himself as the memories came back freely. "I did a quick search for safe worlds for him to be sent to. Yours was the one that I thought could use a bright man like him the best."
"So, you erased his memory and sent him to our world?" Lisa queried, leaning forward in her chair.
The mage shook his head. "I did not erase his memory. One cannot do that. I could only repress his previous memories and plant a plausible story in his head about his past."
Rich stroked his chin. "Well, now it makes sense why he never seemed to know much about his own past."
"Then it might have been possible for Paul to regain his memory about this world while he was in our world?" Cindy queried.
Kyther's face contorted in thought. "It's possible, but highly unlikely. He would need some sort of trigger for the memories to begin to surface. For example, a visit from a person he knew before or an experience that was similar to an influential memory might have a slim chance of making those memories resurface."
Rich leaned forward. "Do you know of anyone around here that could possibly jump between worlds?"
"There is no one else in this valley that can cast such a spell. I have also not felt any significant magic being cast for months now, but my ability to detect magic does have a limited range." Kyther frowned.
Lisa spoke up suddenly. "Sorry to change the topic suddenly, but was Paul human here?"
"Yes. I had to perform a transformation spell on him when I sent him to your world, just like he did to you when he brought you here." Nostalgia crept back into the old man's mind. He grinned slowly. "I always did enjoy that spell. One of my favorites."
Scott suddenly sat up. "Might it be possible for you to change us back or even send us back to our world?"
Kyther's smile faded. "I cannot do such spells anymore. I am too old and frail to be able to expend the energy needed for such involved magic." Scott and Lisa both slumped slightly in their chairs. Kyther continued, "I am sorry, my friend. Paul is the only one in this valley that I am aware of that can cast the required spells."
The mood in the room darkened slightly. Cindy broke the moody silence. "Sir Kyther, do you happen to know where we can find Paul?"
The mage nodded slightly. "Paul knows that he cannot hide from me. He has hidden himself in his old castle, near the southern end of the valley."
He smiled. "As I mentioned, I am able to detect magical forces from great distances. Since there are few magic users in this valley, then, I am able to track him. That is how I knew you were coming today." He nodded toward Rich, Sharon, and Cindy. "I felt your power."
"Could you perhaps teach me how to do that?" Rich queried excitedly. "We could use that ability."
Kyther smiled. "Well, young sir, if you are willing to learn, I am willing to teach. However, the training for the magic will probably take a few days."
Rich's smile faded. "A few days?" He paused. "In that case, I will have to pass on your generous offer. We have to find Paul within the next eight days."
"That's too bad." The mage frowned slightly. "And I was so looking forward to teaching again."
"Well, if we have time after we find Paul, we will stop back," Rich offered.
Kyther grinned. "And I'll make sure to make your visit well worth your time." Turning his attention back to the group, he brought the conversation back on topic. "Do you have any other questions for me?"
The group silently reflected, trying to think of other questions. Sharon shifted in her chair, deep in thought.
Kyther noticed that she still didn't seem at ease with something. "You have a question on your mind?"
"Yes, I do," she said softly. "Kevin brought this up before and I'm still trying to figure it out myself." She paused. "You wouldn't happen to have any clue as to why Paul might have brought us along to this world?"
"Truthfully, I must admit that I do not know. I also had wondered why he might bring along some others, especially if they would be good friends obviously on a quest to stop him. It does not make sense to me either." He stopped for a moment, deep in thought. He continued, hesitantly, "However, do not fret too much about it. I had the same trouble trying to figure out his abrupt change in personality twenty-five years ago. Your most prudent action at this point is to find him, because you do not seem to have much time."
Scott nodded. "I agree. Now that we know for sure where he is, we should probably get back and prepare to head to the castle."
Sharon thought for a moment and eventually stood up. "Thank you very much for answering our questions," she said to Kyther, bowing slightly. "We will leave you to your work now."
"It was my pleasure." The mage smiled good-naturedly. "Please feel free to stop by with further questions if you have them. And good luck on your journey."
The rest of the party stood up and started toward the door, thanking the mage. Cindy, still deep in thought, stopped at the door.
Lisa put her hand on Cindy's shoulder. "What's wrong, Cindy?"
Cindy looked at Lisa and the others. "Do you guys mind waiting outside for me? I would like to ask Kyther a private question, if he doesn't mind." She glanced quickly at the mage who nodded.
"That's fine, Cindy," Scott said, opening the door. "We'll wait outside. Just don't take too long, please."
"Thank you all," Cindy replied as everyone else left the building. "I will try not to take more than a minute."
Lisa pulled the door shut behind her, leaving Cindy and Kyther alone in the building.
"What do you suppose she's asking him?" Rich asked the other three.
"That's a good question," Scott responded. "More importantly, why couldn't we hear it also?"
Sharon thought for a moment. "Maybe she knows something that she doesn't want to tell us."
Scott stared incredulously at Sharon. "Are you implying that Cindy might be up to something underhanded?"
Sharon shook her head. "Not necessarily. But it is something that we should watch for, though."
"Cindy is a sweet girl. She couldn't hurt anything or anyone without good reason. I trust that her secrecy is justified." Scott seemed convinced by his own logic.
Lisa nodded. "Whatever her reasons are, we shouldn't speculate on--" She stopped as the door opened. Cindy waved to the mage, stepping into the misty air.
"Thank you all for waiting patiently," she said as she pulled her hood up over her head. "Shall we get back to the cabin?"
"So, Tony?"
Tony turned his pensive glance from the lake to Crystal, who was trying to get his attention. Ever since the bull had joined them in the living room a couple hours ago, he had pretty much continued to brood silently.
She continued, slightly embarrassed. "I hope I'm not disturbing your thoughts too much."
The bull grinned slightly. "Nothing that I wouldn't mind someone disturbing. What is it?"
"I was just wondering what you were thinking about. That is, if you don't mind sharing with us."
Kevin stirred slightly from his comfortable prone position, closing the book he had been reading for the last hour. He glanced over at Tony.
Tony's grin faded as the memories of the battle resurfaced once again. "I'd rather not talk about it, actually."
Crystal sighed. "That's okay. I just wanted to make conversation."
"Actually, you wanna know what I would like to talk about?" Kevin asked. He pointed up.
Tony took the hint. "Yeah. You wouldn't happen to know where Paul met Doug? He's the only one we really don't know much about." Doug was still sleeping in his room, so Tony and Kevin felt safe gossiping about him.
"Actually, I really don't know," Crystal admitted. "He just kind of appeared about two months ago. Paul and Doug seemed to get along really well, so I never asked anything about it."
"Do you even know anything about Doug?" Kevin prodded.
"Other than the facts that he eats a lot, sleeps a lot, is a quiet and introverted guy, and is a philosophy major?" Crystal smiled. "Nope."
Kevin shrugged. "Oh well." He stretched a bit on the couch, accidentally catching his claws in the upholstery. Quickly untangling himself, amid the chuckles of the other two, he looked outside expectantly. "Has it stopped raining yet?"
Tony turned around and looked out the windows. "Nope. Still kind of misty out there." Wryly smiling at the feline, he added, "Is the little kitty afraid of a little cold rain?"
Kevin glared at Tony. "You remember the last time I was cold and wet? Do you want me in that mood again?"
Tony chuckled, recalling the incident. "No, thanks. I'd rather not have to defend myself against an enraged or annoyed feline."
Crystal stood up, stretching. "Well, I'm tired of just sitting around. I need to do something." Addressing Tony, she asked, "You don't mind the mist, do you? Want to practice a bit outside?"
Tony nodded. "Sure."
Kevin sneered as they walked outside. "At least you're not forcing me to go out there this time." He reopened the book, trying to remember what page he was on. Only the quiet lapping of the waves on the lake's shore, the occasional din of sword practice, or the light snoring of Doug above disturbed the quiet around him. He curled up in his blanket, getting comfortable as he delved deeper into the book. This is what spring break is supposed to be like. Shivering as a light wind cut through the cabin, he added to that thought, Too bad I can't turn up the heat.